Russia Prepares For New Batch Of Stealth Fighter Jets

In a series of reports from the Russian News Agency TASS, Russia’s fifth-generation Su-57 stealth fighter jet could be entering service sometime in 2019. The aircraft has huge potential to modernize the Russian military for at least “fifty years,” exclaimeda senior Russian lawmaker, as it has proven its worth during the combat missions in Syria.

It is possible that Moscow will deploy these stealth fighters in the Eurasia region to ensure a geopolitical power shift away from Washington to defend the economic development projects currently underway.

Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) President Yuri Slyusar told Deistvuyushchiye Litsa (Political Actors) program on the Rossiya-1 television channel that a major contract with the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation would be finalized by the end of summer for the first batch of Su-57 fighters.

“By the end of the summer, I think probably at the Patriot Park (in Moscow’s region, the venue for the 2018 Army forum on August 21-26 – TASS), we will sign contracts for the first batch with the defense ministry. Regular supplies will start next year”.

In a separate interview, Viktor Bondarev, chairman of the defense and security committee of Russia’s Federation Council upper parliament house, explained to TASS Sunday that the stealth jets had performed exceptionally well during its combat deployment in Syria.

“The Su-57 has successfully accomplished the first stage of state trials and proved all of its designated flight characteristics. It proved its worth not only on testing grounds but also in real combat operations,” Bondarev told TASS.

He said that Su-57 pilot prototypes were delivered to Russia’s Hmeymim airbase in Syria in the first half of the year for live fire testing.

The jet “has a huge potential for modernization that will be enough for fifty years,” he said, adding that the plane’s onboard radionics is built on the principles of open architecture.

“As a matter of fact, this fighter jet has everything necessary to be later developed into a fully automatic unmanned warplane,” Bondarev said.

“The Russian fifth-generation Su-57 fighter jet features stealth technology with the broad use of composite materials, is capable of maintaining supersonic cruising speed and is furnished with the most advanced onboard radio-electronic equipment, including a powerful onboard computer (the so-called electronic second pilot), the radar system spread across its body and some other innovations, in particular, armament placed inside its fuselage. The plane’s onboard control system is capable of following up to 60 targets and opening fire at 16 of them concurrently. These planes are expected to arrive for the troops in 2019. The pilot batch will comprise 12 Su-57 planes,” said TASS.

In the decades ahead, the reports did not mention what Russia wanted to defend with these advanced jets. However, it is becoming quite evident that they will be used as a new deterrence system against Washington’s advanced aircraft to protect and keep peace in the Eurasian region as the Belt and Road Initiative comes online and challenges America’s dollar system.